Track-sander for motor-cars.



No. 765,742. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904. W. LINTERN.

TRACK SANDER FOR MOTOR CARS.

7 APPLIOATION FILED mums, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-:SHEBT 1.

No. 765,742. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904.

I w. LINTERN. I

TRACK SANDER FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG-23, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. 0 2012172555551 5 [12552555, ZA 2 WZ'ZZZam Lz'nierrz;

UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1904:.

PATENT O FICE.

TRACK-SANDER FOR MOTOR-CARS- SPEGIEICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 765,742, dated July 26, 1904.

Application filed December 23, 1903. Serial No. 186,314. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LINTERN, a citizen of the United States,residing at WVestpark, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Track-Sanders forMotortraction-wheels slipping upon the track-rails,

but in cars as at present equipped this is either impossible orexceedingly difficult to accomplish,since the operator must employ onehand in manipulating the controller and the other hand in operating thebrake, while one of his feet is often employed in ringing a gong. Vereit convenient to apply sand to the track under the traction-wheels atthe instant of starting many large cars which carry four motors coulddispense with two of them, and were it possible and convenient to sandthe track at the instant of applying the brakes and shutting off thepower cars could be stopped within a shorter distance and many accidentsavoided.

The prime object, therefore, of my invention is to provide atrack-sander which may readily be operated instantaneously and kept inoperation as long as desired without the operator removing his hand fromhis powercontroller or from his brake.

To these ends my invention consists in means for placing the control ofthe sanding apparatus literally under the operators thumb, and in othernovel features and combinations, as hereinafter described and claimed,an embodiment thereof as applied to an electric motor-car beingillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a planview, and Fig. II is an elevation, partly in section, of the upperportion of an electric controller equipped withmy sanding apparatus.Fig. III is a side elevation of the forward end of an electric motorcar,partly in section, showing the sander applied thereto. Fig. IV is asection of the airvalve taken on line IV IV of Fig. II. Fig. V is asection of the hand-lever stop attachments taken on line V Vof Fig. II.Fig. VI is a rear elevation of the hand-lever stop attachments.

The reference-letter (0 indicates an electric controller of the typeusually employed upon motor-cars, having a squared shaft 6 projectingupward through its top, upon which a hand-lever 0 is removably fitted. Astop (Z projects above the top of the controller and is usually madeintegral therewith, its purpose being to limit the movement of thehand-lever by intercepting the depending rib thereof. Thus the travel ofthe hand-leverc is less than a complete circle, the dotted lines in Fig.I indicating its extreme positions, in one of which the power is shutoff from the motors and in the other the motors receive the maximumpower. The swinging end of the handlever is raised above the level ofits hub, as shown, and is provided with an upright handle f, which ispreferably of hardwood, having a metallic ferrule at g and a metallicbushing it driven therein, and screw-threaded, as shown, or otherwisesecured to the handlever c.

A lever j is fulcrumed to the hand-lever c at z', and its inner armpasses through a suitable aperture in the hand-lever and extendshorizontally to and slightly beyond the center of the hub of thehand-lever. The outer arm of the lever j extends to its terminationclose to the hand-lever beneath the handle f, Where it is hinged to anupright rod in, passing loosely through the bushing [L and havingrigidly secured to its upper end a cylindrical push-button Z, of alarger diameter than said rod. The button Z is fitted loosely andextends'into the bore of the handle, said bore being preferably bushedwith metal at m. The upper end of the button Z projects normally somedistance above the handle f, as shown in Fig. II, and is upheld by aspiral spring a in the handle-bore thereunder, which spring rests uponthe bushing h.

A pipe 0 is connected to a compressed-air supply and, rising to aconvenient position adjacent to the controller (1 is carried thencedownward and rearward to a suitable sandtrap p. Said sand-trap issupplied with sand from a reservoir (7 and is provided with a delivery-pipe r, leading down into close proximity to the track forward ofand preferably as near as possible to the traction-wheel. It is obviousthat a plurality of sand-traps may be employed upon a single car andthat the air-pipe may have branches leading to them. Located in theupper bend of the air-pipe 0, adjacent to the controller-top andpreferably in line with the shaft 7) and stop (Z, is an airvalve 0:,having a stem .9 projecting upward through its top and provided with aspring 6, which operates to close said valve by raising it. A shut-ofl'cock a may also be placed in the pipe 0 between said valve and theair-supply.

Rigidly secured to the stop (Z is an upright guide-block 1/), having abroad groove in its outer face, in which a fulcrum-plate a; is slidablyfitted. A stud-bolt y is carried by the guide we, and the plate a; isslotted upward from its lower end, so that it may be slid down over saidbolt to its normal position, as shown in Figs. II and VI, and securedtherein by tightening a thumb-nut 2', screwthrea(.l ed upon the saidbolt. A stud 2, having a head and a shank fitting the slot in the platein, may be attached to the guide w below the bolt 1 to further guide andsecure the plate :0; but this stud is not designed to be tightened uponsaid plate. A lever 3 is hinged to the upper end of the plate a; at f,so as to swing vertically, and has its outer arm extending over andnormally in contact with the upper end of the valve-stem s. while theinner arm of said lever projects over the center of the shaft 7) abovethe end of the lever 7 and is provided with an zuljusting-screw 5,standing in line with the axis of the shaft 6 and having its end bearingnormally against the upper side of the lever 7'.

In the operation of the device it will now be readily understood thatthe push-button Z being substantially under the thumb of the operatorwhile his hand is graspingthe handle f of the controlling-lever sand maybe distributed instantly to the track at any time, since a simpledepression of said push-button serves to open the valve 01, whichpermits a greater or less blast of air to enter the sandtrap 12,according as the button it depressed more or less, thus distributing agreater or less volume of sand to the track.

In electric motor-cars it is found necessary to remove the hand-lever ofthe controller when the operator leaves his post. This can be easilyaccomplished by loosening the thumb-nut .2 which permits the lever 3 andits fulcrum-plate :1: to be raised suflieiently to permit the hand-leverc to be lifted off of the squared shaft 7), or, if desired, the lever3and plate a; may be lifted clear of the controller and attached toanother controller.

Any suitable type of valve may be employed, but I prefer to use abalanced valve, so that it will not be necessary for the operator topush with his thumb against the airpressure. Such a valve is shown at w,the valve 6 being a cylindrical shell attached to the stem s by armsfitted to reciprocate vertically in its seat and having ports whichcommunicate with a passage 7, leading to the outlet, as plainly shown inFigs. II and IV. An adjustable stop 8 may be attached to the stem s, bymeans of which the maximum opening of the valve may be regulated.

Having so fully described what I new consider the best mode of applyingmy invention that those skilled in the art to which it appertains canmake and use it, either in the form shown herein or under somemodification thereof, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a suitablesand-trap and a compressed air pipe communicating therewith, of a valvein said pipe, a controller-handle, a push-button in said handle, andconnecting means whereby an inward thrust of said push-button opens saidvalve, substantially as set forth.

9.. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a suitablesand-trap and a compressedair pipe communicating therewith, of aself-closing valve in said pipe, a controller-handle, a push-button insaid handle, and connecting means whereby at any point in the travel ofsaid handle an inward thrust of said push-button opens said valve,substantially as set forth.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a suitablesand-trap and a compressed-air pipe communicating therewith, of avalvein said pipe, a removable controller-crank provided with a handle, apushbutton in said handle, and connecting means adapted to permit theremoval of said crank whereby an inward displacement of said pushbuttonopens said valve, substantially as set forth.

a. In a track-sander for motor-cars, the combination of a suitablesand-trap, a com- PI'OSSGtl-fiil pipe communicating therewith, a

crank having its inner arm extended over the center of said crank, apush-button in said. handle operatively connected with the outer arm ofsaid lever, and a suitably-fulcrumed lever adapted to engage the innerarm of the aforesaid lever and open said valve when said push-button isinwardly displaced, substantially as set forth.

6. In a vtrack-sander for motor-cars, the combination of a suitablesand-trap, a compressed-air pipe communicating therewith, a self-closingvalve in said pipe, a removable controller-crank provided with a handle,a lever fulcrumed to said crank having its inner arm extended over thecenter of said crank, a push-button in said handle operatively connectedwith the outer arm of said lever, and suitable means adapted to permitthe removal of said crank operatively connecting the in- .ner arm ofsaid lever with said valve, substantially as set forth.

removable fulcrum-piece, one arm of said valve-lever being adapted toengage the inner end of the aforesaid lever and its other arm disposedso as to bear upon the stem of said valve, substantially as set forth.

8. In a track-sander for motor-cars, the combination of'a suitablesand-trap, a compressed-air pipe communicating therewith, a self-closingvalve in said pipe having a projecting stem, an electric controller, aremovable crank upon said controller provided with a handle, a leverfulcrumed to said crank having its inner arm extended over the center ofsaid crank, a push-button in said handle operatively connected with theouter arm of said lever, a guide-block rigidly attached to saidcontroller, a removable fulcrum-piece adapted to slide upon and beclamped to said guideblock, and a valve-lever hinged to saidfulcrum-piece bearing at one end upon the inner end of the aforesaidlever and at the other end upon the stem of said valve, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, at Cleveland, Ohio, this 8th day of December,

WILLIAM LINIERN. Witnesses:

JOHN F. STRAUSS, JNo. T. SULLIVAN.

